OMPO

Presentation

OMPO / European Institute for the Management of Wild Birds and their Habitats, is an international non-governmental scientific organization whose objectives are to study and contribute to the knowledge of migratory Palearctic birds throughout their range in Eurasia-Africa while ensuring opportunities for their management and sustainable use.

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The example of Senegal

The Langue de Barbarie National Park (PNLB), the Djoudj Bird Park (PNOD) and the Guembeul Fauna Reserve

October 24 – 28, 2011

This training of 12 trainees in the reception of the visitors of the protected areas in Senegal was organized within the scope of the convention concluded between OMPO and an Italian development aid structure: CISV (Comunità Impegno Servizio Volontariato). Having no trainers specialized in ecoguiding, CISV entrusted OMPO with the training of agents mastering the problems related to their sites.

The course covered two subjects:

Reception of the public

The notions of ecotourisme and ecoguiding were clearly defined. This kind of development combining natural environment and culture tends to increase, in particular because of the high occidental desire to visit Africa, but is still hampered by the lack of training of the local staffs.

The public visiting the protected areas wishes to discover the wild nature and the most emblematic local species. His satisfaction depends on the aptitude of the ecoguides to satisfy this demand under conditions of comfort and safety. This is why the parks shall be able to offer facilities fit to do so, such as tours, lookouts, shelters, information panels… but also tourist welcome facilities (information center, restaurant, boutique, toilets, parking…).

It was taken advantage of the presence of visitors on the site to address and solve certain situations and look how to improve the quality of the services offered by the park.

Knowledge of the nature and of the birds

The ecoguides shall know the birds present on the site during the various seasons of the year. They were informed of the ornithological observation principles. Then the identification criteria of the various species, especially water birds, were specified during practical work inside and in the field. Finally the trainees were initiated in the latest bird study and monitoring techniques.

The course ended with the remittance of an official certificate, signed jointly by Assane Ndoye, curator of the PNLB, Rossella Semina, representative of the CISV and Patrick Triplet, representative of OMPO.